HELP !To Bag or not to bag?

rbenson · Joined: 19 Aug 2005 Posts: 101

I know ultimately this is my decision but I am seeking input from people with air ride experience. I can get an amazing price on the digital air ride kit from Justin at xbstars so I can finally afford to do it. Im just looking at the pros and cons. It looks cool as poop, but is it ok for a daily driver? I know the problems that can happen and thats not too much of a concern since I am anal about maintenence. Of course all warranties are out the window if I do this! :nails:

ibnboxin · Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 781 Location: Marysville

umm as far as warranty goes. i do not think it voids any of it. talk to blakbox06. he is a local guy to me and has a 1stgen bagged. i don think it voided any of his warranty. he also drives his box daily. his name is chris.

xseveredveganx · Posted: 8/7/08 10:36PM Post subject:

I've had air in the past and I've done a few installs.

Being in Virgina, my concerns would be these:

1. Moisture. There's always moisture in the air. Make sure you have a water trap like this one.
2. Valves. I'm not sure how great their valves are, or if they're even rebuildable. I had some water get into my lines (it was snowing and it was in Wyoming) and the dump valve froze open. That meant one of my rear bags wouldn't get up. It sucked, but with some heat, it came undone.

3. Do it. Period. I'm looking into UAS's kit. I don't need all the stuff that is included with the Easy Street kit. It's a great kit, don't get me wrong. But I have my air ride preferences. I'd much rather have a switch box in my lap than a big controller hard mounted somewhere. Guess I'm just a little old school!

Also, what size of wheels and tires are you planning on running?

eight08customs · Joined: 01 Sep 2004 Posts: 1005 Location: Honolulu Hawaii

bag it...

as long as the install is done right you wont even know its in your car.. mine been the first gen 2 bagged and its been on my car for over a year now.. not one problem.. rides nice.. my car is drven every day and i have 2 kids..

dont know what your going to be running but i had a chance to make my own to my own needs... I made sure if i did loose air i still could drive my car with no air..

rbenson · Joined: 19 Aug 2005 Posts: 101

The wheels Im running or actually putting on today are Konig afterburners 19x8 +40 offset. I was assured thes were the perfect offset to go with no matter what I use to lower it?Oh yeah just in case someone asks Im running 225\35 \19s

Go_HIN · Joined: 10 May 2005 Posts: 248

If you can afford it I'd recommend it. Its a great show piece and the ability to just drop and raise is so convenient.

your cons will be more maintenance to schedule, warranty, a slightly more degraded ride but otherwise I think these are all very doable. Last weekend my friend proved me wrong... his car on bags killed it on the twisties through 20 miles of canyons. Of course he's gotten all other chasis stiffening upgrades as well but nonetheless the car handled well.... he was using Universal Air.

fuqua · Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 172 Location: Marysville, WA

I do not know much about air suspensions and cannot find a good resource. This is not a thread jack I just have the same questions. Any input is appreciated:

Marshall - how is yours set up so that just in case you could ride with no air?

GO HIN – You said you were in a friends car for some spirited driving. How does the ride compare to springs or coilovers and is something that could be done with most kits or is it hard on them?

Do they have a lot of side to side roll when you turn hard?

If you have a switch box do you have to manually adjust it every time you start the car?

Also, some kits say they have an auto ride height does it adjust to the height based on the pressure of the bag or actual height of the vehicle?

What is the regular maintainance that these require?

Which manufactures are the top end or quality brands? I can tell the difference with springs and coilovers but have no idea here.

How loud are the compressors?

Any recommendations on where to get more info?

Thanks and sorry of the ?s

Anton

ibnboxin · Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 781 Location: Marysville

Fuqua hey man come out to marysville meet and see Chris's bagged box. it is a 1st gen. but he knows his air ride systems

fuqua · Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 172 Location: Marysville, WA

where and when. i will

xseveredveganx · Posted: 8/9/08 6:07PM Post subject:

fuqua, I know air rather well and I've done my fair share of installs.

I've been looking into the kit from Universal Air Suspension. They have a video on their site of a Magnum with OEM struts, shocks, and springs and the same Magnum with their air ride kit. Air won't be as harsh as coilovers. At all. Granted, I've only owned and driven a rear wheel drive truck with air, but the ride is still pretty decent.

As far as body roll, the only way you'll get excessive body roll is if you do just a front/back setup. I highly recommend running an 8 valve/manifold setup.

Top quality brands as far as what? Compressors: Viair and Air Zenith. I wouldn't run anything from Thomas, they're kind of dated... Valves: I ran Parkers in my fullsize and loved them. GC is also an excellent valve manufacturer. Bags: Slam Specialties is top notch in my book. But, you can't use Slam bags on the front. Hence Universal Air is the way to go.

You will have to manualy adjust your car every time you dump or lift it. You can get a digital gauge from Dakota Digital, that helps set your ride heighth. Some kits do have leveling valves that help attach to a point that you determine and weld on. It's an expensive kit, but I'm sure it works well.

I'm sure other air gurus will chime in...

deflaytedwayz1 · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 694 Location: concord, ca

You ask and you shall receive!

Compressors: ViAir are good compressors. Air Zenith are fast as hell but have had problems but are also fully re-buildable. Thomas are no good. Whatever you get make sure it will work for your application. You don't want to burn up a $200+compressor.

As for valves any valve that is used in industrial applications is going to work well. These would be your Parker and Asco valves. I never had a problem with my ascos freezing while I was in Wyoming and they were mounted on the frame in the snow. Don't go with valve manifolds. If you REALLY want to, get the air ride technology manifold. Either way definitely go with 8 valves(1 fill and 1 dump for each corner) that way you don't have to worry about air transfer between each corner

Gauges:
Dakota Digital gauges are great because they are very accurate and you can know what pressure you like running at what height. As for the auto height stuff, i've heard a lot of not so good.

Maintenance:
There isn't a whole lot of maintenance to be done. It isn't like hydraulics where you have to replace o-rings and charge batterries. As Cameron said, water traps are a good idea but aren't going to prevent all water build up because the distance between your compressor and your tank isn't great enough to fully cool the air. Another good idea is to put a petcock valve in the bottom of the tank and drain it like once a month. This will prevent rust if you don't have a stainless tank or one that isn't coated on the inside. It will also free up air space in your tank because if you have a reasonable amount of water build up in your tank it is taking up air space.it will also help prevent a previously mentioned problem of valves freeaxing due to moisture build up.

Switch boxes:
There are many different styles. I personally have hardmounted switches just for front and back as well as a 10 switch box with a 10ft cord so if I want to show off I don't have to be in the vehicle.

Tanks:
The bigger, the more play time, but the longer the fill time. Smaller, less play time but less fill time. my best setup so far was a 7 gallon tank with 2 viair 450 compressors. It filled fast and the tank was a decent size.

Fittings:
I personally like Parker valves because they already have the sealant on them so you don't have to mess with teflon tape or plumber's putty. Otherwise grab a fitting kit from places like FBI rides or suicidedoors.com. The Home Depot fittings work just as well as long as you put the teflon tape or putty on. i haven't had much luck with the push connect fittings because they hold minimal pressure.

Pressure switch:
Make sure you have a pressure switch to turn your compressor(s) off when the desired pressure is reached in your tank. They come in all different pressures and even adjustable ones.

Plumbing:
Make sure when running your lines that you stay a safe distance from heat! If you think it might be too close, wrap it in heat wrap to prevent the heat from reaching your line. Also make sure it won't get pinched by any moving parts or anything like that.

That should be a good beginner guide. If you have any questions just ask!

xseveredveganx · Posted: 8/12/08 11:33AM Post subject:

^^^WIN!!!

deflaytedwayz1 · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 694 Location: concord, ca

I would like to thank all of my customers and those that have supported me along the way and the lessons I have learned and last but not least the plasma cutter and welder that make every bag job that much easier!

Hahahaha!!!!! It comes with the experience.

fuqua · Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 172 Location: Marysville, WA

great info - thanks. What have you heard or seen bad about the auto leveling features?

xseveredveganx · Posted: 8/12/08 9:23PM Post subject:

fuqua wrote: great info - thanks. What have you heard or seen bad about the auto leveling features?
What I've seen on a video, didn't impress me. I personally wouldn't run it. I'd opt for the Dakota Digital gauge and staying around ride heighth while driving and turning, etc.

That's just me. I've had a dakota digital and a body dropped truck in the past. I miss that truck. :cry:

I'll let Kenny chime in about the levelling stuff.

firesquare · Joined: 17 Mar 2004 Posts: 3969 Location: Wilmington NC

you aren't low enough till your pushing the pebbles out the way!

this is some helpful info thanks everyone

deflaytedwayz1 · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 694 Location: concord, ca

The auto leveling stuff pulses the air until it gets to the pressure you want. It can seem like you just don't know how to use your switch box when you keep hearing air pulsing and your vehicle not moving because it's not at the exact pressure. It's way easier to know what pressure you like to ride with Dakota. You can get it within a couple psi and it'll be fine. If you want to give it a try go for it but I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

xseveredveganx · Posted: 8/12/08 11:43PM Post subject:

deflaytedwayz1 wrote: The auto leveling stuff pulses the air until it gets to the pressure you want. It can seem like you just don't know how to use your switch box when you keep hearing air pulsing and your vehicle not moving because it's not at the exact pressure. It's way easier to know what pressure you like to ride with Dakota. You can get it within a couple psi and it'll be fine. If you want to give it a try go for it but I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.
The pulsing is exactly the wording I was looking for! Sometimes I'm just not with it... :doh: I remember seeing Steve Meade putting the auto level stuff on an Escalade he's been working on. He hit the up switch and it starts pulse dumping. I was like, WTF?!?!

Any respectable mini trucker would laugh at you. Dakota, FTW.
I need more $$$ to get air, 20's, and possibly 5Axis lipkit. I dunno about the lipkit. I'd feel like a cheater.

Aaaand gangster ninja Utah edit... Found the video of the LevelPro... Clicky for linky.

CIONIDE · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 2400 Location: Napa, CA

Nice video, but it sounds like a friggin' commercial wood shop with the compressor going!

xseveredveganx · Posted: 8/13/08 12:00AM Post subject:

I'm really not sure what compressors are in that thing, either. Most aren't that loud. I worked on a 64 Lincoln and put 4 Viair 380's in the trunk. It wasn't tooooo bad.